Movies/TV/Streaming

U Street Movie Series 2nd Season Announced, Starts May 24

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo credit Brian Liu – Toolbox DC

From a press release:

After a successful inaugural season in 2010, Friends of Harrison Recreation Center, the U Street Neighborhood Association, and the Meridian Hill Neighborhood Association announced today the launch of the 2011 Summer U Street Movie Series.

This year’s movie series lineup includes films that feature and celebrate Washington DC, including both classic and family friendly Hollywood films set in Washington, DC, documentaries addressing environmental and education issues that resonate in Washington, DC, and films about local U Street entertainment institutions such as the Howard Theater and the 9:30 Club.

In collaboration with the AFI Silverdocs Festival, prior to the feature film will be a screening of a short documentary featured at a previous AFI Silverdocs Festival (http://silverdocs.com).

The schedule is as follows:

May 24: AFI Short: This Chair is Not Me (rain date May 26)
Feature: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

June 28: AFI Short: The Poodle Trainer (rain date June 30)
Feature: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

July 26: Short: Howard Theatre: A Century in Song (rain date July 28)
Feature: 930 F Street

August 23: AFI Short: City of Cranes (rain date Aug 25)
Feature: National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Sept 20: AFI Short: Big Birding Day (rain date Sept 22)
Feature: Bag It

Oct (TBD): Feature: Waiting for Superman, indoors, followed by community forum on education policy

Admission is free, and all films with the exception of October’s Waiting for Superman will be shown at the field at Harrison Recreation Center on V Street between 13th and 14th Streets, NW. Gates will open at 7 pm. Attendees are encouraged to come early starting at 7 pm to picnic in the park and listen to music spun by local DJs. Free popcorn will be provided to the first 100 attendees beginning at 7 pm by Ventnor Sports Cafe. Showtime will be at sundown, exact time will vary. Several local food truck vendors will be on site serving food. On the June and August “family” nights, children can play in a moonbounce from 7:00 – 8:30 before the films. Full information can be found at http://movies.ustreet-dc.org.

Donations and sponsorships towards the event, accepted at http://movies.ustreet-dc.org, will benefit Friends of Harrison Recreation Center, a nonprofit formed in 2009 that works directly with the Department of Parks and Recreation to improve the recreation center through capital improvements design changes and enhance management and programming of the park, with the goal of making Harrison Recreation Center a better designed, cleaner, safer, and better park in the neighborhood for all to use and enjoy.

NoMa Summer Movie Series Schedule Released – Train Theme

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user pablo.raw

From a press release:

Mark your calendars to join us for this popular 12-week movie festival, which runs Wednesdays, May 18 to August 3.

NoMa Summer Screen takes place at Second and L Streets, NE, just steps from Amtrak’s headquarters and DC’s fastest New York connection. Festivities begin at 7 p.m. with music, a variety of food vendors and the ever-popular barbecue from Smokin’ Somethin’. Dogs, coolers, kids and friends are welcome. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for each week’s theme and information about surprise giveaways and weekly activities.

The schedule:

  • May 18: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Coen Bros., George Clooney: Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” set in the Deep South during the 1930’s. In it, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. PG-13
  • May 25: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Harrison Ford: When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father’s footsteps and stop the Nazis. PG-13
  • June 1: Stand by Me. River Phoenix, Kiefer Sutherland: After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find a body of a missing boy. R
  • June 8: North by Northwest. Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant: A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive. PG
  • June 15: Slum Dog Millionaire. A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” While being interrogated for allegedly cheating, scenes from his life history are shown that explain why he knows the answers. R
  • June 22: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Robert Redford: Two Western bank/train robbers flee to Bolivia when the law gets too close. PG
  • June 29: Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Steve Martin, John Candy: A man must struggle to travel home for Thanksgiving, with an obnoxious slob of a shower ring salesman his only companion. R
  • July 6: Ghostbusters 2. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd: The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business. PG
  • July 13: Darjeeling Limited. Wes Anderson: Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other — to become brothers again like they used to be. R
  • July 20: Some Like it Hot. Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon: When two musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in. PG-13
  • July 27: Taking of Pelham 123. Walter Matthau: In this 1974 New York classic, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. Even if it’s paid, how could they get away? R
  • August 3: The Incredibles. Pixar: A family of undercover superheroes, trying to live the quiet suburban life, is forced into action to save the world. PG

The 5pm Post – Bruce Springsteen Film, The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user hellomarkers!

From an email:

Continuing a tradition of support to community-based, independent cinemas, Bruce Springsteen and Columbia Records have once again partnered with Emerging Cinemas and the Atlas Performing Arts Center to offer a widely acclaimed Springsteen film charitable screenings in Washington, DC.

The Promise: The Making of Darkness On The Edge of Town will receive a special theatrical run at the Atlas as part of Emerging Pictures’ network of community-based cinemas, performing arts centers and independent art-houses as a benefit screening and fundraiser.

The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town
Friday April 22 and Saturday April 23 2011 at 8pm
Tickets $10

The Atlas Performing Arts Center
1333 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-399-7993 ext 2

The 5pm Post – The Muslim Film Festival

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

The Muslim Film Festival will be held in Washington, D.C. from April 19th to 27th, 2011. The festival is organized by the American Islamic Congress and Project Nur.

Titled “Generation: Muslim,” the festival acknowledges the estimated 65% of the world Muslim population who are under the age of 30. This generation continues to demand international attention for their ongoing protests in the Middle East and for their outspoken apprehension of recent congressional hearings on radicalization in the American-Muslim community.

Five films will be screened at different venues around DC accompanied by panel discussions with filmmakers, authors and prominent figures in the community.

The film lineup is as follows:

2009 Cannes Film Festival Special Jury Prize selection “No One Knows About Persian Cats” directed by Bahman Ghobadi, exposes the consequences Iranian youth face in their mission to produce rock music at 6pm on Tuesday, April 19th at West End Cinema.

2007 Tribeca Film Festival Winner for Best Screenplay and Best Actor “Making Of” directed by Nouri Bouzid, offers a controversial tale of the radicalization one young man undergoes in Tunisia at 6pm on Wednesday, April 20th at the EQB Lounge at American University.

2010 Sundance Film Festival selection “The Taqwacores” directed by Eyad Zahra, depicts the vibrant underground subculture of Muslim punk-rockers in upstate New York at 6pm on Thursday, April 21st at American University’s Wechsler Theater.

2010 Berlin International Film Festival selection “Shahada” directed by Burhan Qurbani unveils the clash between tradition and modernity in contemporary German society at 6pm on Tuesday, April 26th at the JC Cinema at George Mason University.

2010 Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film “Un Prophete” directed by Jacques Audiard, tracks a young man’s attempt to reconcile his self worth in the face of xenophobia in French prisons at 6pm on Wednesday, April 27th at West End Cinema.

All screenings are free, and open to the public. For more information on the screenings please visit http://www.muslimfilm.org/

Waiting for Superman Free Screening Tues. March 1st

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

On Tuesday, March 1 at 7:00pm, The District Church will be hosting a free screening of the acclaimed documentary Waiting For “Superman” at the GALA Theater in Columbia Heights (3333 14th St NW). This documentary exposes some of the failures of the public education system in America and the desperate need for reform.

To read more about the screening visit here.”

Anyone Know if a Movie is Being Filmed at 18th and R St, NW?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user jimbographer

“Dear PoP,

I was biking down 18th today (what a bumpy ride!) and noticed the section of R between New Hampshire and 18th was closed to traffic and it appeared something was being filmed there. Does anyone know what it might be? Didn’t have a chance to stop and ask the police officer who was standing at the corner of 18th and R St, NW.”

Anyone happen to if a movie is being filmed? Any details?

The 5pm Post – Movies and Literature Thurs. Evening

By Prince Of Petworth

This is timely:

This year’s film festival at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art focuses on the films of Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. Bound by geography, these disparate films capture the complexity of recent movies from and about North Africa. From contemporary Cairo and Marrakech, to the shifting sandscapes of Tunisia and Iran, to Algiers and Paris, these films are intimately tied with place, and show different sides of these often stunning and sometimes gritty backdrops.

Free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served.

Thursday evenings at 7:00PM
950 Independence Ave
Lecture Hall, Sublevel 2

More info from 826dc here.

Movies in Columbia Heights + Help Pick Movies for NoMa Summer Screen

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mylar Bono

“Dear PoP,

I noticed that one thing you think the area is lacking is movie theaters. Although we’re not a full-blown theater with popcorn and milk-duds, BloomBars (3222 11th St NW) screens independent films and documentaries every Tuesday evening. Most of the time we are joined by the director (or others involved in the film) either in-person or on Skype, or else with a subject matter expert.

This Tuesday (1/25) we’re screening “Wednesday Afternoons” with a live Skype Q&A with the director after the film.

Next Tuesday (2/1) we’re screening “Capoeira: The Dance of Freedom” with a demonstration & lesson with our capoeira instructor and students before the film.”

Sounds like a great movie option.

And while we’re on the topic of movies – a poll has just been released where you can help pick the schedule for next summer’s NoMa Summer Screen schedule. So many good choices!

The 5pm Post – Irish Film Festival Starts Tonight

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

tonight at e street cinema!

paul fraser’s my brothers opens the capital irish film festival 2010.

read ann hornaday’s review in today’s washington post!

fraser’s beautiful, critically-acclaimed film follows three brothers who embark on an epic and hilarious quest in an unreliable bread van to replace their dying father’s lost watch.

time: 8pm
when: thursday, 2nd december 2010
where: e-street cinema, 555 11th street nw, washington dc, 20001
metro: metro center

how:  $10

buy tickets now!

more info: irishfilmdc.org

Free Japanese Film Festival This Friday and Sunday at the Freer

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

On Friday, December 3 at 7 PM, we will show the ever popular comedy Linda Linda Linda. The film follows four girls as they prepare their band for their final school festival.  Accompanied by a great soundtrack, this film is funny, poignant, and will certainly have you longing for your school festival (and a karaoke box).  Click here to visit the film’s official English site.  (Japanese with English subtitles)

On Sunday, December 5 at 2 PM, we will screen The Harimaya Bridge, written and directed by former JET Aaron Woolfolk (Kochi Prefecture).  The Harimaya Bridge is a drama about an American man who must travel to rural Japan to claim some important items belonging to his late son, from whom he was estranged. While there, he learns several secrets his son left behind. Mr. Woolfolk will be in attendance during the screening and will stay to answer questions about his craft and his experiences.   Come see a film the Los Angeles Times calls “a unique, complex, consciousness-raising accomplishment,” and Derek Kester of the San Francisco Examiner labels one of the best films of the year.  Click here to visit the film’s official site.

Admission to both films is FREE and open to the public.  Seating in the Meyer Auditorium at the Freer (directions here) will be available on a first come first served basis. Auditorium doors will open approximately 30 minutes before each show.”

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